Iain Dale says:
It’s a bit like pro abortion people being against the death penalty or pro death penalty people being pro life.
Which allows me again to mention my favourite newspaper headline, from Rolling Stone Magazine’s review of the year for 1981 (not online):
Right to Lifers Demand Mandatory Death Penalty
Peter,
“It’s a bit like pro abortion people being against the death penalty or pro death penalty people being pro life.”
I suppose those who dislike abortion and favour the death penalty might point out what they see as a crucial distinction. A person who holds such views may be willing to see someone found guilty of an atrocious crime (or crimes) sentenced to death; but they wouldn’t wish the same upon a nascent – and by definition innocent – human being. For instance, if a woman is the victim of abduction, assault and rape, resulting in pregnancy, a person might support the victim’s urge to see her (guilty) assailant sentenced to death, but not support the death of the unwanted (but innocent) foetus growing in her womb.
Now one might debate whether the state should be able to impose the death penalty on anyone and one might debate the point at which a human life begins; but the argument above, which I’ve heard made more than once, doesn’t seem inconsistent on its own terms, hinging as it does on the issue of innocence.